Pakistan cricket team is currently on South Africa tour, where it is facing the host team. Currently, T20 series is being played between the two teams, after which there will be ODI series and then will be the turn of Test series, which will start from December 26 in Centurion. But just 2 weeks before this Test series, Pakistan Cricket Board has taken a shocking decision and removed the team's assistant coach Tim Nielsen. Nielsen was working as an assistant to Pakistan's Test coach Jason Gillespie, after which questions have started being raised about Gillespie's future.

Appointed coach in August, now removed

According to the report of ESPNcricinfo, PCB has not renewed the contract of Tim Nielsen and has removed him. PCB had appointed former Australian cricketer Nielsen as an assistant coach in August this year, where he was mainly working with Jason Gillespie in the Test team. His contract had ended with the Australia tour but in view of the upcoming Test series with South Africa and then the Test series against West Indies, it was expected that he would be retained but this did not happen.

The report quoted Nielsen as claiming that he had made good progress with the team and was expecting his contract to be extended but this did not happen and the board clearly told him that his services were not needed any further. After the removal of Nielsen, questions are now being raised about the future of head coach Gillespie.

Gillespie's future also in limbo

The report claims that the PCB did not take any advice from Gillespie regarding this decision and he was not even informed about it, due to which Gillespie is unhappy. In such a situation, he is also considering the possibility of continuing with the Pakistani team. Last month itself, there were reports that the Pakistani board was preparing to remove Gillespie. Then it was claimed that he would be dropped as soon as the ODI and T20 series in Australia ends.

After the resignation of ODI-T20 coach Gary Kirsten, PCB had persuaded Gillespie to remain the coach in this series also, although he is the coach of only the Test team. Although the PCB later refuted the claims of Gillespie's removal, it only said that he will remain the coach in the Test series to be held in South Africa. Gillespie was appointed coach by the PCB in April this year.